If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIRED
Best Overall
UE Boom 3
Pocket Bass
JBL Charge 5
Best Micro Speaker
Sony SRS-XB100
Best Bargain
Tribit StormBox
The best Bluetooth speakers still have a place near and dear to our hearts, even as we’ve seen better (and more portable) smart speakers creeping into the universe. It’s fun and easy to ask an Amazon Echo or Google Nest speaker to play your favorite track or tell you the weather, but smart speakers require stable Wi-Fi and updates to work. By (mostly) forgoing voice assistants and Wi-Fi radios, Bluetooth speakers are more portable, with the ability to venture outside of your house and withstand rugged conditions like the sandy beach or the steamy Airbnb jacuzzi. They’ll also work with any smartphone, and they sound as good as their smart-speaker equivalents.
We’ve tested hundreds of Bluetooth speakers since 2017 (and many before that), and we can happily say they are still some of the best small devices for listening on the go. Here are our favorites right now. Be sure to check out all our buying guides, including the Best Soundbars, Best Wirefree Earbuds, and Best Smart Speakers.
Updated February 2024: We’ve added the JBL Charge 5 and Tribit Stormbox Flow, as well as honorable mentions for the Tivoli Model Two and Dali Katch G2.
Special offer for Gear readers: Get WIRED for just $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com, full Gear coverage, and subscriber-only newsletters. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.
-
Photograph: Ultimate Ears
Best Overall
UE Boom 3
There are bigger and badder Bluetooth speakers, but none match the fun and convenience of the Ultimate Ears Boom 3 (9/10, WIRED Recommends). It’s been our top pick since 2018 and the Boom 2 was our favorite before that. It puts out some of the most pleasant and balanced sound for its size. The waterproof cylinder comes in multiple colors, lasts 15 hours between charges, and gives you 100 feet of Bluetooth range. On top of all that, it has a two-year warranty.
If you really need to get a party kicking, Ultimate Ears’ Megaboom 3 ($148) is a beefier model that amps up the bass.
-
Pocket Bass
JBL Charge 5
If you like to shake the room even if the “room” is the Great Outdoors, you can’t do better than the latest Charge from JBL. The speaker is IP67-rated against dust and moisture and offers a 20-hour battery life. It has up to eight different finishes and the ability to charge your phone while off the grid. Its tubular shape is designed to fit neatly into your hand, and just as important, it’s capable of kicking the party right off if you want it to. It’s not a blunt instrument, but its prodigious and frankly unlikely low-frequency response never stops surprising. If it’s portable party time you’re after, JBL has you covered in fine style. —Simon Lucas
-
Photograph: Sony
Best Micro Speaker
Sony SRS-XB100
This sub-$100 speaker from Sony has become a go-to when riding to gatherings, thanks to a clever built-in strap, and the fact that it sits flat in a bike basket. It gets up to 16 hours of battery life, is IP67-rated for dust and water resistance, and you can even link two of them together for stereo sound. It comes in a variety of awesome colors—my favorites include bright blue and bright orange—so you’ll never be lost in the crowd. At just under 4 inches tall, it’s also some of the smallest speakers to take everywhere.
-
Photograph: Tribit
Best Bargain
Tribit StormBox
You probably haven’t heard of Tribit, but its line of Bluetooth speakers sound a lot better than they should for the price. The StormBox is our favorite model. It has dual-firing drivers and passive radiators in a 7-inch-long pill shape. No, it can’t fuel a trance dance party on its own, but its clarity is impressive, and it has a fun extra bass button that adds some surprising, if slightly muddy, thump.
With 20-ish hours of battery and an IPX7 waterproof rating—which means it’s not dust-proof but can be submerged in water—it’s a great companion for backyard tunes, a trip down the river, or other informal gatherings.
-
Photograph: Tribit
Biggest Battery
Tribit Stormbox Flow
Tribit has been raising its game in the portable audio category lately, and the Stormbox Flow (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is another great example of the brand’s portable prowess. The headline here is a rival-stomping 30 hours of max battery life, but the Stormbox Flow has plenty more to give, from an elegant yet weatherproof design to clear and punchy audio with thumpy bass to match. Maybe the speaker’s best feature is its low price of $80 or less, making it a fine fit for budget shoppers seeking a versatile speaker that keeps rocking long after the party is done. —Ryan Waniata
-
Photograph: Ultimate Ears
Best for Water Slides
UE Wonderboom 2
The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom was a WIRED Gear of the Year award winner in 2017 because it was the best pool companion you can own. The Wonderboom 2 is even better. The little 4-inch ball of joy now sports IP67 water and dust resistance. It gets 13 hours of battery, has a 100-foot Bluetooth range, floats, and pumps out surprisingly potent audio while doing it.
UE says it’s “drop-proof” up to 5 feet, but you can honestly play some light catch with it on the lawn and it won’t be any worse for wear. Just wash it off when you’re done. You can pair two together for proper stereo sound.
-
Photograph: Ultimate Ears
A Medium-Size Speaker
Ultimate Ears Epicboom
Ultimate Ears appears many times in this guide because it makes some of the best-looking, best-sounding, and most durable speakers we test. The Epicboom is no exception to this trend, with a curvy, pill-shaped body that is easy to transport and place anywhere. It projects sound well in medium-sized outdoor spaces and can connect to other Ultimate Ears models inside the Boom app, potentially creating a party channel of up to 150 speakers. We also like the fact that this speaker is made from 100 percent recycled polyester fabric and 59 percent post-consumer recycled plastic.
-
Photograph: JBL
Adventure Time
JBL Clip 4
We like the JBL Clip 4 more than its three predecessors. It’s the size of a hockey puck—small enough that you can take it with you on almost any adventure. It’s waterproof and has a carabiner clip up top so you can snap it to all kinds of stuff. It also has more controls (volume, play, Bluetooth, power) than other micro speakers, and its sound is surprisingly bold, making this a great one to hang off of packs or harnesses while on weight-limited outings.
-
Photograph: TriBit
Handlebar Ready
Tribit StormBox Micro 2
We loved the first generation of the Tribit StormBox Micro for its easy-to-use silicone strap, which firmly held it against bicycle handlebars. In this update, Tribit has maintained the rugged IP67 rating against water and dust, and given us more battery life (around 12 hours) plus better bass. Also, the new Bluetooth 5.2 tech allows it to cast a wider signal than its predecessor, for when you’re wandering around the yard or house.
★ Also handlebar-ready: Bose also makes a great speaker of a similar design called the SoundLink Micro ($119), which was previously our top bike handlebar pick. It sounds about the same but is twice as expensive as the Tribit.
-
Photograph: Sonos
Best Smart Bluetooth Speaker With a Battery
Sonos Roam
The larger Sonos speakers are great if you want a speaker that usually lives inside, but they aren’t the kind of thing you’d want to throw in a backpack. That’s where the Roam comes in (9/10, WIRED Recommends). This tiny Sonos speaker has all the same smarts as its bigger siblings but with an IP67 dust- and water-resistance rating and 10 hours of listening time. It’s about the size of a 16-ounce beer can and easily fits in cup holders and knapsacks alike.
★ A bigger portable Sonos: The Sonos Move 2 costs $449 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) and is a larger version of our top pick, the Sonos Roam. It’s good if you’re trying to fuel a real dance party, or if you want a mostly indoor speaker you can take onto the patio for get-togethers.
-
Photograph: Sonos
Best for Home
Sonos Era 100
If you want a home speaker that can occasionally connect to friends’ phones or other devices not on your Wi-Fi, snag an Era 100 (9/10, WIRED Recommends). It’s a speaker that must be plugged in and mostly streams music over your Wi-Fi network, but it can also function as a Bluetooth speaker. We love that this model is stereo. With dual beam-forming tweeters aimed off-center, you get real, room-filling sound. It’s our favorite smart speaker right now.
-
Photograph: Positive Grid
A Bluetooth Guitar Amp
Positive Grid Spark Mini
Positive Grid’s Spark Mini (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is one of our favorite portable tools for musicians. You can pair your phone and play music via the cube-shaped speaker, but also plug in a guitar and blend yourself in to jam along. It’s a perfect playing tool for campfires and backyard barbecues (8 hours of battery), and it even doubles as an audio interface if you need to scratch down an idea quickly. Because it’s a guitar amp, the thing is much louder than it looks, easily able to fuel sing-alongs and shredding interpretations of The Star-Spangled Banner on Independence Day.
Looking for a smaller way to shred on the go? The Spark Go ($129) is about half the size of the Spark Mini and comes with all the same great sounds, making it perfect for those who don’t need much volume (or who plan to practice with headphones anyway).
-
Photograph: JBL
Another Smart Speaker
JBL Authentics 200
This smart speaker from JBL (9/10, WIRED Recommends) gives Sonos a run for its money, thanks to the ability to use both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa at once. We like it as a Bluetooth speaker as well, given its classy, old-school aesthetics (especially evident in the foam grill cover). If you want a Bluetooth speaker that you can park at home between trips outdoors, this is a great Sonos alternative.
-
Photograph: Marshall
Rock and Roll
Marshall Stockwell II
If you’re a music fan or just love the classic Marshall guitar amplifier design, this Bluetooth speaker is ready to rock. Like all Marshall products, you pay a price for the style, but the audio lives up to expectations. For a speaker that’s about as big as four old DVD cases stacked, standing upright, it sounds killer, with a smooth, balanced, and refined sound.
The exterior has a durable-feeling, splash-resistant silicone finish, and the front and back are covered with a steel grille. It has a front-facing woofer and a tweeter on each side, powered by a battery that lasts around 20 hours (USB-C charging with a 3.5-mm jack too), depending on how much you tweak the stylish volume, treble, and bass knobs up top. The battery indicator is also handy. You’ll enjoy toting all 3 pounds of it around with its carry strap, which has a leather feel on the outside and red velvet on the inside.
If you want a little more power and heft, the Marshall Kilburn II ($267) is similarly excellent, and the Marshall Emberton ($121) is a great extra-portable addition to the amp company’s Bluetooth line. Like the Stockwell II, it has a built-in battery gauge.
-
Photograph: Ultimate Ears
Porta Party
Ultimate Ears Hyperboom
With 24 hours of battery life, a rugged design, and a huge yard-filling sound, the Ultimate Ears Hyperboom (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is the perfect speaker for a party. Intelligent algorithms use data from a built-in mic to analyze where you’ve placed the speaker, ensuring the best possible sound, much like the Sonos Move. This is a better option than the Sonos if you have no interest in a future home network of speakers.
It doesn’t have lights or cup holders like some other party speakers, but this is the best-made large Bluetooth speaker we’ve tested. It’s been dropped from trucks, left out in the rain, and used at summer barbecues. It’s even got a big silicon strap, inviting you to take it everywhere.
-
Photograph: Bang & Olufsen
Elegant Accessory
Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 (2nd Gen)
Bang & Olufsen’s round, IP67-rated Bluetooth speaker has a luxe price, but it’s one of the best-sounding small speakers we’ve ever heard. With the included leather strap, excellent controls, and super-durable build, it quickly became a favorite. If you’re willing to spend a lot more for the best of all portable worlds—looks included—this is the tiny luxury option to beat.
-
Photograph: Urbanista
Powered by the Sun
Urbanista Malibu
We’re not the biggest fans ever of the Urbanista Malibu’s sound (7/10, WIRED Review), but it is notable in that it can be charged using solar power. That makes it a great speaker for those of us who are forgetful beach bums, or who only use a speaker like this on rare outdoor occasions, but stick to smart speakers or earbuds at home.
-
Photograph: Victrola
A Bluetooth Record Player
Victrola Re-Spin Bluetooth Suitcase Record Player
This suitcase-style turntable has a built-in Bluetooth speaker that you can pair your phone to, and it can also transmit the sounds of your record to other speakers and headphones. We’re big fans. It’s made of 25 percent recycled plastic, comes in cute colors, and all it requires is a single power outlet. It’s the perfect little case to bring along with you on your next trip out of town, and the lid even doubles as a record holder when it’s not protecting the deck.
-
Photograph: Sennheiser
A Tiny Soundbar
Sennheiser Ambeo Mini
Sennheiser’s Ambeo Mini is the best-sounding compact soundbar I have ever tested, and it does exceptionally well as a Bluetooth (or smart speaker) for music. Pair a phone and put on some tunes between viewing sessions on your TV, or do like I recently did and use the speaker for karaoke (you supply your own karaoke mic, or just sing a cappella). The German brand’s excellent drivers and audio design work to keep things balanced, and you can get this setup with or without a subwoofer, depending on how much you hate your neighbors.
-
Photograph: KEF
For Proper Hi-Fi
KEF LSX II
This pair of wireless bookshelf speakers from Kef not only look great, they sound amazing (9/10, WIRED Recommends). They’re easily mountable, thanks to threaded 1/4-inch mounting holes on the bottom, and they feature numerous wired and wireless connection types, including Apple AirPlay, Spotify Connect, and Bluetooth. A companion app on your phone controls everything, with the speakers providing extremely high-fidelity, room-filling audio with a wide stereo image.
-
Photograph: Joseph Shin
Made to Last
Bang & Olufsen Beosound Level
Bang & Olufsen makes some of the best high-end audio gear, and it has recently taken a “buy once, cry once” policy when it comes to wireless listening. The Beosound Level is a very expensive Wi-Fi and Bluetooth speaker, but it is modularly designed and aims to be repairable forever. The 16-hour battery is replaceable, and it also has replaceable wood and cloth elements. The gorgeous and great-sounding speaker could be a lifetime audio addition that can be upgraded as technology changes, or accidents happen.
If you want something portable designed on the same principles, check out the basket-like Beosound A5 (8/10, WIRED Recommends), which has a cute wooden handle and a wicker-like grill cover.
-
Photograph: Scosche
Honorable Mentions
Pretty Good Speakers
Here are a few other products we’ve tested that aren’t as nice as our picks above.
- Dali Katch G2 for $600: Danish specialist Dali’s second generation of its remarkably elegant Katch speaker is a balanced, open, and extraordinarily positive listen, able to extract a stack of information from even the meanest Bluetooth stream. Thanks to a choice of three finishes, a leather handle, and some typically Scandi industrial design, it looks the part as well as sounding it, but its price is very high.
- Tivoli Model Two for $450: This radio is gorgeous to look at, with its midcentury modern feel, and it can sit both vertically and horizontally. It’s almost a little too minimalist, with its single button and surrounding LED light to control and indicate what mode the speaker is in. It has both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth streaming options that you can toggle between, works with Google Chromecast and Apple AirPlay, and gets plenty loud. It’s pricier than it needs to be, unless you’re looking for a design statement first and a speaker second.
- DemerBox DB2 for $399: The DB2 is a perfect companion to your boldest outdoor adventures, in large part because it serves two purposes: It’s a loud portable speaker with 40 hours of built-in battery life, and it’s also a crushproof Pelican case. Load it up with any particularly fragile items, plug the bass port with an included rubber stopper, and you’ve got yourself an everything-proof box to keep your stuff safe.
- Oontz Angle 3 Speaker for $40: This speaker has thousands of positive reviews on Amazon and is pretty great for a dirt-cheap Bluetooth speaker in our testing. If you just want something to sing along with in the shower—and you’re not a stickler for great audio quality—snag one of these.
- Bose’s SoundLink Revolve II for $219: Both this speaker and the Soundlink Revolve+ II ($329) aren’t the cheapest, cutest, or most waterproof speakers, but we like their sound and their aesthetics. If you’re not hard on your speakers, they’re worth considering.
- Sony SRS-XG500 for $498: This is a very loud boom-box-shaped speaker with up to 30 hours of battery life. It sounds and works great, but it just doesn’t sound as good as the Ultimate Ears model listed above, and we don’t quite like the aesthetics.
